WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 15 - 17 March

FA CUP QUARTER-FINALS AND THREE CARRYOVER POOLS

Second-round Nedbank Cup action at home, the FA Cup quarter-finals in England and several key league matches headline the football menu this weekend with carryover Soccer 10 pools tonight and tomorrow night and a carryover Soccer 13 Xtra increasing your chances of landing a big win on TAB soccer pools.

UNITED UP AGAINST IT IN CLASH WITH RAMPANT LIVERPOOL

Barring the fact that cup matches can turn up ridiculous results from time to time, most of this weekend’s knockout games look pretty straightforward. In the Nedbank Cup PSL outfits are pitted against lower-tier rivals with the exception of SuperSport United, who travel to Durban tomorrow to take on battlers Richards Bay. SuperSport should triumph, but are winless in their last five and it will be no surprise to see the match go into extra time.

It’s much the same story tonight when Stellenbosch, unbeaten in their last 17 barring a loss to an All-Star XI in the Black Label Cup, take on First Division rivals Milford in Durban. It’s hard to see Stellenbosch losing, but their rivals did thwart Chiefs for 120 minutes before knocking them out on penalties so a draw after 90 minutes is not out of the question.

Wolves and Manchester City, currently 7-5 favourites to win the FA Cup, should both advance to the semi-finals tomorrow, although Coventry could make life tough for Wolves if they can contain them for the first 60 minutes or, even better, score first. Championship log-leaders Leicester have hit a sticky patch and will need to regain their poise if they are to pose any threat to Chelsea in Sunday’s first quarter-final. And it’s hard to envisage Manchester United keeping Liverpool at bay for that long in the later game. Klopp’s youngsters have filled the gaps left by first-team injuries admirably as demonstrated by four goals in 10 minutes and change against Sparta Prague on Thursday night.

Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Spurs all have must-win clashes in the EPL tomorrow. It’s unlikely to be easy for any of them, but all three should prevail in the end and look banker bets to win in Soccer 6 and 10 pools.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEKEND

No Grobler for SuperSport in cup clash, Lazio coach walks away, more injury woes for Aston Villa and Inter Milan striker injures a hamstring.

* SuperSport United’s veteran striker Bradley Grobler dislocated a shoulder in Tuesday’s draw with Mamelodi Sundowns and will miss the Nedbank Cup tie against Richards Bay tomorrow. Not that he was going to play anyway after getting a one-match ban for a fourth caution of the season.

* Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri stepped down following Monday's 2-1 home defeat to Udinese. The 65-year-old had been at the club since mid-2021, but the writing was on the wall because Lazio had lost three successive games going into the clash with Udinese.

* Jacob Ramsey’s foot injury is likely to keep him out of the Aston Villa line-up against West Ham on Sunday, adding to his team’s woes because John McGinn is suspended for three games after his dismissal against Tottenham last Sunday. Plus Boubacar Kamara is recovering from a serious injury and will not feature until next season.

* Inter Milan, now out of Champions League but 16 points clear in Serie A, go into their match against reigning champions Napoli on Sunday without striker Marko Arnautovic, who has a hamstring injury, while Carlos Augusto tweaked a calf in last weekend's win at Bologna. The two join Juan Cuadrado (Achilles) and Stefano Sensi (ankle) in the treatment room.

* Union Berlin’s bid to move clear of the Bundesliga relegation zone by collecting three vital points against Werder Bremen tomorrow will be hampered by a two-match suspension for midfielder András Schäfer. The Hungarian was sent off in the 69th minute of the 2-0 away loss at VfB Stuttgart last weekend.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY CARRYOVER SOCCER 10 POOLS

Friday 15 March S10 V1

No better way to start the weekend than by winning this Soccer 10, which starts with a R100,000 carryover that should result in a total pool of nearly R2 million!

SOCCER 10 V1 SUGGESTED BET:

Soccer 10 V1 pool closes 19:00 on Friday 15 March.

Suggested permutation: 3 x 1,2,3 x 2,3 x 3 x 1,2,3 x 2,3 x 1 x 1 x 3 x 1,2,3.

Soccer 10 V1 pool closes Friday 16 March.

Saturday 16 March S10 V1

SOCCER 10 V1 SUGGESTED BET:

Suggested permutation: 1,2,3 x 3 x 3 x 1 x 2,3 x 1,2 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 1,2.